Bill Newton Dunn greatly regrets the loss of jobs due to tobacco factory's closure and calls for greater police cooperation with continental Europe
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
Imperial Tobacco Group announced today the proposed closure of its cigarette factory and distribution centre in Nottingham.
The company plans to implement the closing over the next two years. In the announcement, Imperial Tobacco states that the closure reflects among others "declining industry volumes in Europe" and "growing illicit trade in the UK and Europe". The announcement affects up to 540 jobs.
Bill Newton Dunn, Liberal Democrat MEP for the East Midlands, commented that he greatly regrets the loss of jobs at Imperial Tobacco in Nottingham. He added that
"Cross-border crime, not least in illicit cigarettes, is causing a growing danger to the UK and to all of Europe.
"As I have stressed frequently, we need much greater cooperation between the police forces in Europe. UKIP and the right-wing Conservatives are going to the wrong direction when they propose to terminate all police cooperation with continental Europe.
"In reality, we need better and more police cooperation, not less, to be able to stop criminals - and to save the jobs destroyed by their criminal acts."
Imperial Tobacco Group's announcement can be found here: http://www.imperial-tobacco.com/index.asp?page=78&newsid=2000